They had not gone far, but were waiting for him only a little above. Aldo heldthe other lamp, and Luchare was just filling it from the now depleted oilskin,which she cast away. They did not light it but fell in behind Hiero and begantheir upward journey. He set a sharp pace and no one questioned it, but theywere all too exhausted to run, and a brisk walk was the best they could do."How long can it hold them, do you suppose?" Luchare gasped at length."Long enough," Hiero said curtly. "For God's sake, darling, save your breath!We're not out of danger yet. The ancients had exact time devices and 1 don't!Just keep walking and try to keep your mind a blank."She did not flare up in anger, for she recognized by now that his orders hadreason, and they trudged on in silence. The light showed the ramp to be almostfeatureless, a great tube, lined with some age-defying substance, which hadbeen cut into the earth and rock with micrometer precision by its long-deadmakers. Once or twice they passed a sealed opening in the walls, but they didnot stop. There were no lights visible, and only the flicker of their littlelamp lit the way.This must have been the main path, the priest reflected, driving his wearylegs forward and upward. They had been walking a long time, at least it feltlike forever, but he dared not rest. The forces trapped in that place behindthem were too awful to take any chances with. But talking might ease thestrain."Did you find any computers?" he asked at length."No," was Aldo's answer. "Such a search might take a week, or a month. ButLuchare found something. She is carrying it. Do you think the Unclean can,free themselves? They have the man and beast power to find anything there. Andwhat about the House? It is so powerful, Hiero. What might it not do with theknowledge of the past?""The house cares nothing about the past or machines or weapons. I know what itthinks or feels as well as anyone human that is, now alive. It has no use formechanical devices,AN END AND A BEGINNING 315but only what it makes or grows itself." He forgot Luchare's find as his worryreasserted itself."Yet it, or perhaps one of its creatures, was looking around at the controlboard. Don't forget that.""I know." Hiero's laugh was grim. "And it had no idea what it was doing, I'msure of that too. Yet it may have given us a way out by its action. How longhave we been walking, do you suppose?""At least an hour, I should think. Are we safe yet?""No. Keep walking. We've got to keep on till we drop, if necessary. I canstill feel the pressure behind me. And the House is weakening!""Can they kill it and follow us? Maybe we can block this tunnel, then."Luchare's tone was defiant, her attitude that of the princess she was. Hiero'sheart warmed to her."Maybe we can," he said more cheerfully. "But it hasn't quite let go yet. Itnever had to control so many powerful minds before, all alien to it and alltrying to break loose. It hasn't dared move, I can feel that, all right.Perhaps it's summoning some of its carnivorous slime molds. And the Uncleanare still there too. I can feel all their minds, even under their screens,like one big ball of force.""I also," Aldo admitted. "What an amazing creature the House is. How I wouldlike to know it, to learn what it thinks, feels, and wants from life." Histone was wistful.Hiero glanced at his aged ally in amazement. The Eleventh Commandment reallyembraced everything, it seemed!We are close to the good air. Gorm had been waddling unhappily along, his pinktongue hanging out and his fur an inch deep in gray film. Now he scentedescape from this underground world he disliked, and his spirits lifted.Hiero momentarily covered the lamp with the edge of his cloak, and they allstrained their eyes. Was there a faint lessening of the blackness ahead? Thevery thought revived their flagging energy.Soon it was a reality. As the light grew, Hiero slowed his pace. "There may bea rearguard," he said. "They'd be fools if there weren't something of thekind. Let me probe a bit while you three rest and catch your breath."His mind sped forward ahead of them, seeking any intel-316 HIERO'S JOURNEYligence that might be lurking above at the tunnel's mouth. But he could detectnothing, not even the shrouded energy which he had learned meant an Uncleanmind shield. Unbelievable as it seemed, the whole force of the enemy hadapparently plunged into the bowels of the earth, so overconfident of hisdestruction it had left nothing behind.He told the others this, and they went cautiously on. Three more great curves,and the light was quite strong enough to make the guttering lamp unnecessary.The faint calling and piping of birds came to their ears now, and even thehuman noses could catch the sweet scent of the air which poured down theshaft."Let me go first." Hiero took the lead again and soon saw the great, openeddoors ahead. He absently noted the shattered hinges and, when he steppedoutside, the cleverness of the device amazed him. For the two huge doors weremade of something on the outside which imitated weathered, gray rock and yetwhich must have been far more impervious than any granite. The Unclean hadbeen indeed cunning to penetrate their secret and so quickly follow on histraces.All this raced through his mind as he drank in the cool air of the tropicdawn, but he urged the others on as before."Hurry," he said, "hurry! We can't delay yet! We may not be safe for hours!"He gave Luchare, who was stumbling, his arm again. He was oblivious to thepacket to which she clung with her other hand, for her telescoped spear wasnow tucked through her belt.The four set off to the south over the boulder-strewn waste onto which thehuge tunnel had opened. Limping and staggering, they went on, no onequestioning Hiero's iron determination or right to drive them thus. Aldo nowfrankly leaned on his heavy staff, something no one had seen him do before.Still they staggered on, their breath coming in painful gasps, their musclestwitching and burning. The ground was semi-desert, tall weeds and thornbushgrowing up through patches of rock and scree. The cool air of dawn gave way tothe burning heat of morning and (very slowly now) they hobbled forward. Timeseemed to pass with terrible slowness.Then it happened. Hiero, who had been listening both with his mind and hisother senses, felt it first.AN END AND A BEGINNING317"Down!" he shouted and, falling, pulled Luchare close to him. Aldo, too, fellprone, while the bear simply collapsed.First came a gentle tremor of the earth, so slight it might have deceived theminto thinking it was a muscle spasm of their own overused bodies.Then the earth began to shake and heave, rising and falling in a great wave,as if the tiny atoms of flesh which clung to it were being tossed in someinconceivable blanket. For the first time, Gorm let out a howl of sheerterror.A distant, muffled roar filled the air. Slowly the heaving of the troubledearth died away. A ringing in their ears also ceased. They raised their headsand looked at one another. Hiero was the first to grin, his white teeth
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